


Robustious - Gibbs' Mistake

by cutsycat



Series: Dictionary.Com Word of the Day Drabbles [1332]
Category: NCIS
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-04
Updated: 2019-08-04
Packaged: 2020-07-31 03:33:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20108485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cutsycat/pseuds/cutsycat
Summary: Gibbs notices that Tony has been getting more and more sleep deprived, so he follows Tony and finds him meeting Trent Kort. Gibbs assumes the worst and is surprised when he finds out what Kort and Tony are really doing.





	Robustious - Gibbs' Mistake

**Author's Note:**

> Another dictionary.com word of the day drabble. This time from 12/23/2002 for the word [robustious](http://www.dictionary.com/wordoftheday/2002/12/23/robustious).
> 
> robustious[ roh-buhs-chuh s ]  
adjective  
rough, rude, or boisterous.  
robust, strong, or stout.
> 
> This is for prompt #4 of the February 2019 Five Prompts Challenge located [here](https://ncis-discuss.livejournal.com/188404.html).

"Do you have it?" Tony asked eagerly.

Kort nodded. "And you brought your part of the bargain?"

Tony nodded, patting a pocket.

"DiNozzo! Stop whatever you're doing, right now?" Gibbs barked.

"Boss?" Tony turned to Gibbs in confusion. "What are you doing here?"

"Did you think I wouldn't notice?"

"Notice what?" 

"The dark circles beneath your eyes."

"Oh that's nothing, boss. I'll be back to normal soon."

"It's been getting progressively worse, DiNozzo. Not better."

"That still doesn't explain why you're here."

"I followed you! And here I find you doing some shady business deal with Kort. I don't know what the problem is, Tony, but you don't have to do this. I can help."

Tony couldn't stop himself from laughing in Gibbs' face. "Trust me, boss. This isn't what you think and you can't help me with it."

Gibbs glared at Tony. "That's not good enough, DiNozzo. Now, what the hell is going on?"

“If it were your business, I would have told you.” Tony glared back.

Gibbs stormed over and grabbed the bag violently from Kort. “Drugs aren’t the answer,” he started yelling before he realized what was in the bag.

Tony sighed. Why did Gibbs have to be so robustious? “That’s not yours.” 

“But why does Kort have boat parts?”

“Because I asked him to get them for me. Now, apologize to the man before you make an even greater fool of yourself.” Tony crossed his arms in a silent warning.

“Sorry, Kort.” Gibbs offered the bag back to Kort. 

Kort shook his head, but he was obviously amused as he handed the bag to DiNozzo. Gibbs continued to stare at the two of them trying to figure out what was going on, but neither of them were talking. In fact, they mostly looked like they were waiting for him to leave.

“Well?” Gibbs demanded.

“It’s not mine to share.” Tony just continued to stare back at Gibbs.

Kort glanced between the two of them. It seemed neither one of them was willing to back down. Finally, Kort sighed and muttered, “It’s alright, Tony. I don’t care if he knows.”

Tony turned his attention from Gibbs to Kort. “You sure?”

Kort nodded. Tony shrugged and pulled the little stuffed lamb from his pocket and handed it to Kort.

“What?” Gibbs forehead wrinkled in confusion. “What’s going on here?”

“It’s nothing.” Tony grabbed Gibbs’ arm in disgust and dragged him away.

“I don’t understand.”

“It’s for his niece, ok?” Tony growled.

“What’s going on? Why did you trade him a stuffed toy for boat parts?”

“Well you’ve ruined the surprise now, but they’re for you.”

“What?!” 

“Yep. I’ve been working on a surprise for you for Christmas.”

“Why?”

“Haven’t you figured it out, yet?” Tony asked with a self deprecating smile. “I’m in love with you.”

“So then the surprise is why you’ve been getting those dark circles under your eyes? Not something to do with Kort or drugs or something of that ilk?”

Tony sighed. “That’s what you took from that? Yes, this is why I’ve been getting less sleep at night.”

“But why? Surely, you know I’m not worth it.”

Tony rolled his eyes at that. “I didn’t think you to be someone lacking in self esteem.”

“It’s not a self esteem issue when it’s the truth.”

“Have you looked in a mirror recently? Guys half your age would be jealous of your abs alone.”

Gibbs frowned. “What’s the surprise anyway?”

“I’m not going to spoil it for you any further. You’ll just have to wait to find out.”

“But Tony.” Gibbs protested.

Tony shook his head and climbed into his vehicle to head home. He wondered if Gibbs had even heard his love confession. Well he would find out when it came time for his surprise if not before, he was sure. It would have been nice if Gibbs had responded in kind, though, but apparently that was too much to ask, right now.

For once, Gibbs wasn’t sure how he made it home. His head was reeling from everything that had been revealed today. Tony’s sleeplessness wasn’t caused by something going wrong in his life, but by some surprise that he was preparing for him. 

Tony loved him. This was perhaps the most shocking thing revealed tonight. He told Tony he loved him too, didn’t he?

Gibbs replayed the scene in his mind. He didn’t. How could he be so stupid?

Oh god, what would Tony be thinking? He had to fix this. How did he fix this? 

He couldn’t just blurt I love you out at work. Fuck. Wait. Tony and Kort clearly knew each other well. Maybe Kort could help him plan something for Tony.

He wondered what he would end up owing Kort to do that. He still didn’t really trust the guy, but knowing he had a niece that he was getting cute stuffed animals for made him seem less like a bad guy, at least. Taking a chance, Gibbs texted Kort, “5pm at the Naked Eye, tomorrow night.”

“Why?”

Gibbs contemplated how to answer Kort’s question. Finally, he replied, “I have a business deal for you.”

“What’s in it for me?”

“That depends on what you want.”

“Fine. I’ll be there.”

Gibbs nodded in satisfaction and went to bed for the night, confident he had a plan in place to handle his mistake. Of course, he began to doubt his plan when nothing about Tony seemed different at work the next day. Had he just imagined the entire conversation he had with Kort and Tony?

He had expected something to be different, but no; at work Tony was exactly the same as he’d always been. Gibbs frowned and stared at Tony enough that Tony finally confronted him over it.

“What’s up?”

“Nothing.”

“You can’t just stare at me. People are noticing. Now, what’s the deal with you?”

“Why aren’t you acting off?”

“Why should I be?”

“You told me you loved me.”

“This is not the place for this conversation. It’s work. Not personal.”

Gibbs frowned, but nodded.

Tony shook his head and returned to work, but he couldn’t help wondering what Gibbs was thinking after that. Clearly, he’d heard the love confession, though, he still hadn’t said it in return. 

Gibbs was still confused by the time 5 o’clock rolled around, but he dismissed everyone and headed over to the bar to meet Kort. Kort was already at the bar when he arrived. He’d chosen the table furthest from the door in the darkest corner and Gibbs made his way over there. 

“Gibbs.”

“Kort.”

“What’s this about?”

“Tony told me he loved me.”

“Yes, I was there.”

“I didn’t say it back.”

“I know.”

“I do love him.”

“Ok?”

“How do I make up for not saying it back?”

Kort shook his head. “Did you ask me here to be your relationship counselor?”

“No, but I thought you might have some ideas since you’ve clearly got some knowledge of what Tony wants.”

“It was a business deal, Gibbs. Nothing more. The guy is so gone on you no one else stands a chance.”

“He is?”

“Seriously, just ask him out. Take him to the movies or something.”

“You think that will work?”

Kort stood up and tossed over his shoulder as he left, “If it’s you, it will.”

Gibbs stared after Kort in confusion. The guy hadn’t even demanded anything in return for that advice. Was this going to come back and bite Gibbs in the ass later?

Gibbs paid for his drink and Kort’s and left himself. Was Kort right? Could it really be that simple? 

Dinner and a movie didn’t seem much like a love declaration to him. Wait. He knew the perfect plan now.

“DiNozzo.”

“Tony. Assuming we don’t have a case would you spend the weekend with me?”

“Doing what?”

“It’s a surprise.”

“Wait. Is this a date?”

“If you want.”

“I do. When shall I meet you?”

“I’ll pick you up Friday night at 7pm, if we don’t catch a case.”

“Sounds good, Gibbs.”

“It’s Jethro, Tony.”

“Thanks, Jethro.”

Gibbs hung up and started making preparations for this date where he’d hopefully tell Tony he loved him too. Once he got everything all squared away, he finally settled on the couch to catch a few hours of sleep before work. At least, they weren’t on call this weekend so, so long as they didn’t catch a case that took them that long to solve they’d be good to go.

Tony couldn’t wait for the weekend now. He hoped that Gibbs’ phone call meant what he thought it did. Gibbs had ruined the surprise that he’d planned by interrupting him and Kort, though Tony hoped he’d recovered enough that Gibbs didn’t really think anything of it. 

He still wanted the actual birthday present to be a surprise even though most of the pieces had been given away by Gibbs nosiness. When they caught a case on Wednesday, Tony’s entire body constricted. Would this mean no date this weekend? 

He didn’t even know what they were doing, but he was looking forward to it. Fortunately for Tony’s peace of mind, the case was an easy one to solve and they were just wrapping up the paperwork Friday evening. He wanted to check and make sure that they were still on for the date, but didn’t want to make Gibbs even grumpier than he currently was, so he just turned in his paperwork and headed for home.

Gibbs glared at Ziva and McGee who were still working on their paperwork and taking their time. He had a date, damn it. He needed to leave, but he couldn’t leave until those two turned in their paperwork. 

He breathed a sigh of relief when they finally turned it in before doing a quick check to make sure it was all good and leaving for the evening. He still had to get home and change before heading to Tony’s. At last, he arrived at Tony’s door.

He couldn’t believe he was doing this. It had been a long time coming and he wanted this relationship to work more than any other he’d ever had. He moved to knock on the door, but it opened before he got there.

“You planning to stand out here, all night?” Tony asked with a dazzling smile, wearing pants that hugged his ass just right.

Gibbs was hard pressed not to drool on sight. “You look amazing.”

“Thanks.” Tony grinned, giving Gibbs the once over, “You do too.”

“Shall we go?” Gibbs nodded his head down the hallway.

Tony nodded, locking up and joining Gibbs on the walk to his car.

“So what’s the plan and why did I need to have the whole weekend free?”

“You’ll see.”

Tony eyed Gibbs. He wondered what Gibbs was up to. Still it was obvious the guy had no intention of telling him, so Tony settled back and watched the side of the road to see if it gave any clues.

“Wait. Are we going to Luigi’s?”

Gibbs nodded as he pulled into the parking lot. Tony couldn’t help grinning. Luigi’s was the best italian restaurant around. 

The restaurant more than lived up to his expectations. The ambiance was perfect, the mood special. Both Tony and Gibbs clearly enjoyed what they ordered and as they shared some wine, Tony couldn’t help dreading the night coming to an end.

This, right here, was perfect. It was like they were the only two people in the world. He didn’t want that to change. He didn’t want reality to intrude. 

Alas, he couldn’t stop the passing of time and Gibbs eventually paid the check and they left the restaurant, full and happy, though Tony’s stomach was still in a bit of turmoil at the thought of the night ending. He was surprised when he realized that Gibbs wasn’t driving him back to his place. “Where are we going?”

“You’ll see.”

“I should have known it would involve a boat.” Tony commented as they pulled up to the Marina.

“Well, how else am I supposed to make sure you’re available for wining and dining all weekend?”

“Is that what you’re doing?”

“Is it working?”

“Perhaps.”

Tony expected Gibbs to lead him to the wooden boat that looked like it could have been constructed by Gibbs, but instead he lead them to an electric boat. “Isn’t that your boat over there?” Tony asked, pointing to the wooden boat.

“Yep, but this weekend we’re taking this.”

“Why?”

“You’ll see.”

Gibbs let Tony explore the boat as he set about readying it for departure. He didn’t plan to go far. Just far enough for some privacy and some nice beaches. 

“This boat has a TV?” Gibbs heard Tony exclaim.

Gibbs chuckled and waited for the next shout.

“And movies?”

Tony came rushing back up on deck to give Gibbs a big hug. “Are we really going to spend the weekend lounging around watching movies together?”

“Yep.”

“Why?”

“I love you too, Tony.”

“I can see that, Gibbs.”

Gibbs shook his head. “Jethro. Remember?”

“Right, Jethro. It will take some getting used to.”

“We have all the time in the world.”

Tony grinned and tapped his foot impatiently. “Hurry up and do whatever you need to do so that we can watch movies.”

Gibbs smiled indulgently. “Ok, Tony. Why don’t you go pick out a movie and I’ll join you shortly.”

Tony’s grin widened as his smile grew and he gave Gibbs a quick peck on the lips before hurrying back down to the cabin. This was going to be the best date he’d ever been on, he just knew it. With luck his birthday surprise for Gibbs would be even better, though building a new boat together wasn’t anywhere as good as this date in Tony’s mind, but he hoped it would be in Gibbs’ head.

**Author's Note:**

> The dictionary.com series has 4 stories already written for it after this one, so I will be posting at least 4 stories before I stop posting again. I'm hoping to get more stories written before then, so that I don't stop posting for a while. Wish me luck! 
> 
> It's 2019 now and I have closed my 2018 Prompt collection, but fear not my 2019 Prompt Collection is now open [here](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/cutsycat_NCIS_Prompts_2019/profile). Just click the sign up link. ;) It will remain open until the beginning of 2020. I'm hoping to complete all the 2019 prompts by the end of 2020. Do not fear I have not forgotten about the 2018 prompts and will continue working through them. It's just easier for me to not get overwhelmed if I keep the prompts separated by the year they were given to me.
> 
> If you are not an ao3 member, you can prompt me [here](http://cutsycat.livejournal.com/50701.html). Please follow the same rules as are listed in the above link. However, because this is a handmade prompt form(that thinks it's a poll), it is considerably more limited than what ao3 provides, so please use the ao3 form if you're an ao3 member. Please note the name option is for a name that I can say this is for so that you know it's for you. Since this is for non ao3 members it won't be true gifts, but you will be mentioned in the notes. Please note if you have already voted in the poll and would like to request more stories you can just add a comment to the poll. Please include the name along with the prompt, so that I can appropriately gift the prompt to you.
> 
> For any authors that want to chat and/or are looking for a place where they can toss plot ideas around and get input from people, you can come join my discord server that is specifically geared towards writing/encouraging people to write and authors. The invite link is [here](https://discord.gg/HFvwpCq). If you're not an author, but want to chat with me about writing/stories or anything else you are welcome to join. I reserve the right to boot you from my server if all you do is pester me about updates, however. *grin* Really anyone who wants to talk about writing and/or plot ideas for various stories is welcome to join. 
> 
> Also, Drakonyashka has translated a couple of my works into Russian. [Tutelage](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12378780) and [Imbue](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12378840). Go support them. 


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